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Sunday, 13 January 2013

mental welfare commission - talk to the hand

I've been raising a number of issues to do with the management within a locked psychiatric ward. The absence of up-to-date carer information (it was over 18 months old), no evidence of Mental Welfare Commission leaflets, booklets or anything to do with the mental health act. No advance statement or named person forms. And so on.And the independent advocacy available seemed either unresponsive or unprofessional, whichever way you look at it. It was my first time visiting this ward and I did expect there to be suitable access to information, the mental health act safeguards in place and psychiatrists in the know. Especially since I'd been told that this Scottish area had good crisis services, by people in government.

I have been instructed to send any concerns to enquiries@mwcscot.org.uk, rather than any named people at the commission. And I know the main folk, having engaged with them at various national events over the last few years in my voluntary work as a survivor activist and carer representative. Now it feels like "talk to the hand".

I'm hoping my Emailed concerns reach the right person although I have my doubts about this, due to a receptionist at the MWC recently putting the phone down on me, without due cause in my opinion. But hey, what rights do I have? I'm only a writer, activist and campaigner in mental health matters without portfolio. [to add, the local carers project responded quickly to my highlighting of the outdated carer info and got it sorted]

protest London 29 November 2012

Willie Patterson

author of Jeff Hawke

My dad Willie Patterson was a writer, most remembered for Jeff Hawke, the science fiction comic strip that he scripted and wrote from 1956 to 1969, for the Daily Express in London. It is described as "a benchmark in intelligent, adult-oriented storytelling".

I remember him as a principled person, a gentleman who could also be autocratic. He liked wearing handmade suits and silk ties, and did things in a 'big' way. As in organising fireworks displays for the community where we lived or taking me to ringside seats at the circus, where as a young girl I shook hands with Coco the Clown.